


Self fulfilling prophecy

by depozyt



Series: ficlets, drabbles & unfinished projects [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fated Lovers, Fortune Telling, Light Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Psychic Abilities, Rating May Change, Strangers to Lovers, Tarot, Tasseography, Unspecified Setting, inaccurate tarot interpretation, renjun and sicheng are brothers, yuwin is mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-08-24 06:04:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16634369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/depozyt/pseuds/depozyt
Summary: He remembers his mom and grandma telling him he should trust his hunches, he should listen for the little clues the Universe whispers into the void, hoping someone will listen. Taeil never understood how was he supposed to hear them.(Or the one where Taeil's a fortune teller, Johnny's a shapeshifter and they're soulmates but they don't know it yet.)Regular updates after May.





	Self fulfilling prophecy

**Author's Note:**

> this took me too much time tbh  
> unbeta'ed bc none of my friends know english well enough lmao

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i might edit some things over the course of a few days? nothing major, just a word here or there  
> i hope you'll enjoy

It seemed like every year the summer came earlier and earlier. Taeil remembered when school year was excruciatingly long. The time between buying new pencil cases, notebooks, school clothes, and of course, cute stickers, and Christmas break felt like years. September and June were separated by a decade from his perspective.

 

Taeil remembers the day of his 13th birthday vividly. Recalling other events from his early teens brings to his mind only vague, blurry and shapeless visions, not actual memories. Unlike them though, this day is visible in saturated colors and sharp lines as if recorded by a high quality camera.

 

Usually it already starts to get warm around mid April but that year it stayed cold until May. Which meant he could still wear his thick jean jacket (he asked his grandma to embroider his favorite Pokémon on it, the Eeviee looked more cat-like than it should, but he adored it nonetheless) in the weeks following his birthday without almost dying of a heatstroke.

 

Right after the last bell rang Taeil muttered a short goodbye in Kun's direction, quickly jumped on his bike and pedalled home. The air was still chill but you could easily feel the promise of warmer days incoming in it.

 

His apartment complex was located only a fifteen-minute walk away from his middle school. Once he was inside it Taeil didn't even bother with waiting for the elevator. He run up the stairs and hastily opened the front door. The apartment was modest, not cramped but certainly cozy. His grandma decorated it with crocheted tablecloths, handmade decorative pillows and wooden clocks that ticked loudly, especially during the nighttime. The pine floors in all the rooms were covered by earth toned, swirly patterned carpeting. Taeil’s favorite thing in the apartment was the beaded curtain hanging in the door to the kitchen.

 

There was no birthday party planned for today, Taeil’s grandma decided on throwing a small celebration on Saturday instead. Taeil couldn’t wait to chase Kun and Doyoung with a water gun in the back garden and to eat all the cake and caramel fudge he wanted. But he had to wait because today was special in a different way. Grandma promised him he could try doing a tarot reading for himself for the first time. Taeil had been eavesdropping on her for years during the readings she did for her clients. His ear pressed firmly against the wooden door listening and learning the secrets of the Universe.

 

She ordered him a few weeks before to learn the meanings of Major Arcana and Taeil never felt so excited about having to learn something by heart before.

 

The evening came quickly and Taeil found himself sitting cross-legged next to the coffee table in their living room. His palms were sweaty and head feelt light as if it was about to fly off of his little body. Grandma, who was sitting next to him on a fluffy, decorative pillow, handed him a pack of cards. The shuffling was the hard part for Taeil, he was thirteen and didn't know what to ask the Universe about. But then a question flashed through his mind. _Will I meet my soulmate?_

 

He knew that some people were destined to meet one day, that some events were fated to happen. The cards know all of this, you only have to ask them the right questions in order to see the glimpse of the inevitable. Taeil was still too young and naive to understand the importance of the question he asked. But he’ll learn, the incoming years will show him that it’s easier to live without the knowledge he possessed.

 

He spread the deck of cards in half a circle and then choose three. His grandma watched him in silence. Taeil touched the first card, and he saw a glimpse of something, or rather someone. He’ll forget this later, the image will fade from his mind like ink fades from skin once it touches water. But At that moment, that millisecond, he had seen a tall man, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes smiling in his direction.

 

He flipped the cards over.

 

_The moon reversed_

 

_The wheel of fortune_

 

_The lovers_

 

***

 

The doorbell catches Taeil off guard. It’s 9pm on a Friday night, he wasn’t expecting anybody, at least not at this hour. The man doesn’t bother answering it right away, he’s wearing an old, stretched out t-shirt, and a pair of boxer briefs, not an ideal outfit to greet a stranger, he thinks. He quickly puts on a pair sweatpants, which he took off earlier this evening and then tossed them on the floor, and goes up to the front door. He can’t see much through the judas, only a vague silhouette is visible in the faint, orange glow of a ceiling light.

 

“Hello? I had… an appointment?” Taeil hears through the door, the voice muffled by thick wood. “My friend, Sicheng, he called you earlier today,” Taeil unlocks and jerks the door open, almost hitting his left foot in the process. “We're from the northeastern clan...” the stranger gets cut off, his expression perplexed. “Hello.” he repeats.

 

“Good evening,” he greets the man, “Come on in.” and steps out of the way, he’s used to clients arriving at bizarre hours, with or without an appointment. Compared to 4 in the morning, 9pm seems reasonable. The stranger complies wordlessly and steps in. “Should I take my boots off?”

 

“Yes, please.” Taeil looks up at him and smiles shyly. He can finally see the client’s features in the bright light of a hallway lamp.

 

The man is significantly taller than him, he’s wearing a dark blue button down over a white shirt, worn out jeans and leather military boots. Taeil could easily call him handsome. His heart shaped face, sharp jawline, plump lips and strongly defined cupid’s bow are a terrific combination. The guest’s light brown hair is so long it’s starting to get into his eyes. Taeil studies the stranger’s face for a while more and notices something peculiar. His eyes, hazel just a minute ago, are quickly shifting into pale blue as if they were getting covered by a thin layer of ice on top. At first, he's baffled, but then suddenly catches on. The fortune-teller feels an unpleasant sting in his chest as if he was deceived. As if he just woke up and realized the dream wasn’t real.

 

_Ah, that’s right, he was dealing with a shapeshifter._

 

"Could you change your form, please? I'm not used to shapeshifters." the last word comes out awkwardly, Taeil’s not sure how he should call the guest.

 

"Oh, I already did. That's my original form." he says with a pleasant smile on his lips. Blood rushes to the tips of Taeil's ears and his chest suddenly weights more than he could ever lift.

 

"Don't worry, I get that a lot. You didn't insult me or anything." he looks directly at Taeil, his eyes crinkling with warmth. Despite his intimidating posture the man looks friendly. He carries himself with confidence that Taeil’s body language lacks. His movements are steady and deliberate as if made with a lot of thought put into them.

 

“No, I was rude. Let me make up for it though, do you want anything to drink?” Taeil puts on a smile and gestures vaguely in the direction of his kitchen. The words feel unnatural in his mouth, they were said too quickly, too loudly. His embarrassment is obvious.

 

“A cup of tea would be nice.”

 

Taeil shows the man his living room and puts a bag of biscuits on the coffee table covered with a white, crochet tablecloth. Taeil can’t shake off the strange feeling in this chest. Anxiety feels like vines sprouting in his lungs and spreading through his body, leaving his mind paralyzed and blank. He can sense the Universe pulling on invisible strings and distorting the reality to its liking. _Something important is going to happen_.

 

He remembers his mom and grandma telling him he should trust his hunches, he should listen for the little clues the Universe whispers into the void, hoping someone will listen. Taeil never understood how was he supposed to hear them.

 

Was this it?

 

But Taeil dismisses the feeling, blaming it on his own wishful thinking. He remembers all those times he’s trusted his intuition. All those highschool and college boyfriends he convinced they were soulmates, destined to meet. All those incorrectly interpreted tarot readings he gave his friends and clients. His heightened intuition may earn him a living but it doesn’t mean it is always accurate. The ability to foresee the future doesn’t protect you from making mistakes.

 

And he's met the man only a few minutes ago, it's delusional to assume he's important in any way. Taeil hates the unrealistic part of his mind that wonders and fantasizes whenever an attractive man just as looks at him. Or is nice to him. He holds back from hitting his head against the cupboard.

 

"Do you mind mint? I only use real tea for readings, sorry."

 

"No, no, it's fine!" he hears from the other room. Taeil opens the cupboard and decides on the simple white cup with purple dots on it for the guest. He distracts himself for the few minutes it takes to make the tea by watering all the plants he has in his kitchen. There’s the three small succulents in pastel colored pots standing on the windowsill that’s located over the sink, a big palm his grandma bought, placed in the corner of the room, and two vine like plants Taeil doesn’t know the name of, hanging from the ceiling.

 

He puts two steaming cups of tea on a tray and slowly carries it to the living room.

 

“I've never actually told you my name. I'm Johnny.” the man looks up at him. He is comfortably sitting on a couch, that is probably older than Taeil himself, and surfing through his phone.

 

“My name's Taeil, but you probably already know that.” he puts down the tray on the coffee table and sits down next to Johnny careful not to get too close. “You said your friend called me earlier. Sicheng, was it? He wasn't, well, exactly precise. I still don't know what you want from me. Except probably a reading.” He says with a pause after each sentence, carefully choosing his words.

 

Johnny's friend had called him in the morning after his morning jog. The boy sounded panicked and close to tears so Taeil tried to calm him down first. After five minutes or so of reassuring Sicheng that everything will be alright, the boy told him that his younger brother had run away from the clan. That he was their youngest shapeshifter, and not even his closest friends knew where he went. Before hanging up on him, Sicheng promised Taeil he'll send someone over. Apparently by “someone” he meant Johnny.

 

Taeil didn’t know what to make of it.

 

His knowledge about shapeshifters was limited, but he wasn't ignorant. He knew they couldn't change form before reaching adulthood and most of them lived in reclusive communities. They were outcasts, they had their own small blissful towns, their own schools, shops and community centers. Shapeshifters didn't interact with other magical beings. In this aspect they resembled vampires and werewolves. However, even those groups were not as strict about not revealing themselves to others. Nowadays it wasn’t unusual to find a coven of vampires, or a pack of wolves in a big city. Shapeshifters were private and humbristic, used to dealing with their problems by themselves. But that's not what he experienced. This shapeshifter willingly reached out for help to the outside world and that made his head spin. Furthermore, he had sent someone his way, presumably other shapeshifter. Taeil could only wait.

 

“He told you about Renjun?” Johnny asks, worry in his voice audible. His hands are constantly fidgeting with the last button on his shirt.

 

“His brother? Yeah, he told me he ran away,” Taeil answers while reaching for the cup. The tea is too hot to drink, so he just holds it in his palms until the heat becomes unbearable and then sets it aside. “I’m not sure if I can help you, I’ll do what I can but my abilities are limited, Johnny.” he looks into the other man’s eyes. Right now, they are slightly lighter than Taeil’s, dark brown instead of black. He didn’t register when they shifted completely, but he’s glad, the phenomenon makes him uneasy. Johnny tucks his hair behind an ear.

 

“I understand but please, at least give this a try. I don’t know where else we could go.”

 

It’s not the first time Taeil feels guilty about giving someone false hope. He wasn’t a psychic, he couldn’t clearly see the future, he only saw little snippets and interpreted the cards accordingly. But then he looks at Johnny and sees his gentle, pleading smile, and he thinks he should make an effort. He should give this a try.

 

“How did your friend know about me?” Taeil asks the other man. He's been wondering about it since the early morning, the question refusing to leave his mind alone. Shapeshifters weren’t exactly known to contact the outside world often.

 

“Your number is written in the clan’s phonebook, Sicheng used my phone to call you,” Johnny clarifies, his gaze fixated on the pattern of the crochet table cloth. “I don’t know why it was there, but he decided to take a chance and contact you.”

 

“Couldn’t he use his own phone?” the fortune teller wonders.

 

“The clan’s council restricts the usage of electronics. I’m not a part of the community, so I own a car and a cellphone, and don’t have to obey the councils restrictions. But Sicheng’s hands are tied, his brother is missing, and he can’t do as much as leave the town to look for him.” it’s not that Taeil doesn’t believe in Johnny’s story, but he feels there are important chunks missing.

 

“I don't mean to be disrespectful but can't he move out? You said you're not under council's control, why is he then?” The cultural differences between humans and shapeshifters are bigger than Taeil anticipated. He understands respecting one's elders but literally letting them control where he can and can't go seems insane to the fortune teller.

 

“You're not disrespectful, I'm not the biggest fan of the council either. They're a bunch of old pricks with god complexes,” the way Johnny insults the council tells Taeil he had fought with them before. It's the same tone of voice people complain about the DMV with. ”But Renjun's a minor, he can't shapeshift and doesn't have the required documents to leave the town. And since Sicheng is his legal guardian, the council won't let him leave either now because in their minds it's his fault that a teenager ran away. “ the man scoffs.

 

There's anger accumulating in Taeil's chest, it's burning his lungs and throat, making it difficult to breathe calmly. It's not fair. It's unjust and it makes him furious that the elders, the pillars of the community are behaving so childishly.

 

Taeil gets up from the couch and goes up to the glass-fronted cabinet standing in the corner of the room. He opens it and draws a pack of cards, he goes back to Johnny and kneels next to the coffee table. This shouldn't be happening, it's not his responsibility to take care of every unfortunate soul that wanders into his home demanding help. But he hears a quiet voice at the back of his mind, encouraging him to help the shapeshifter.  

 

"Shuffle the cards while thinking about the questions you want answered," Johnny looks down at him bewildered but reaches for the pack anyway. He starts ineptly shuffling and a minute later when he's done, he hands Taeil the cards with a curious look on his face.

 

Taeil spreads them out on the coffee table in half a circle. "Pick three." Johnny silently follows the directions and soon the cards lay before them waiting to be revealed. The air feels heavy, it weighs down his lungs and makes him  sink into the floor. His head hurts in a distinct way, the pain radiating from his forehead to the back. Something important is going to happen. He can feel the Universe rewriting the meticulously planned paths to its liking. His stomach drops and his right hand visibly shakes when he reaches out for the first card. For a fraction of a second he only feels the smooth, cold surface under his fingers.

 

The white light hits him with full force. He can't feel his body anymore, all of his senses are drowned out by the never ending, glowing sea. His consciousness is floating in the space made of pure light, nothing tangible to hold on to. There's only his thoughts and the blinding shine. But deeply inside he’s also afraid, afraid of staying here, of nothing else ever happening. It isis fear of not existing, of losing his identity to the limitless blank space.

 

Taeil’s been here countless times before. Every time it’s as breathtaking and as confusing as the first. He dreams of this nothingness. His dreams are filled with untainted whiteness, no smell, no color, just the void as white as fresh snow. And at this point he can’t tell if they’re nightmares or not.

 

But all of this is fading too, and Taeil’s vision starts to go dark.

 

***

 

_It's loud._

 

Taeil wakes up in the back seat of a car. The vision is clear, almost mistakable for reality in fact. He starts counting, he's never foreseen for longer than a minute.

 

_One_

 

In the front seats he sees two teenagers. They’re both laughing and singing along to the pop song blasting through the speakers. Taeil can only see the back of their heads. The one sitting on the passenger seat is blonde, the driver’s hair is raven black. On the seat nearby Taeil notices a loaded sports bag, there’s a checkered shirt poking out of the side.

 

_Ten_

 

It takes a moment for Taeil to remember why he’s here, he’s quickly losing focus, his vision starting to blur and sound to muffle. He bites the inside of his cheek, hoping the pain will help him concentrate. He looks out of the window, wishing he can spot something that’ll help him identify the area.

 

He sees a verdant forest. Tall, ancient trees are covering the land next to the road. The green is blending together creating an impenetrable barrier of leaves, branches and small bushes.

 

_Twenty_

 

And then he they pass a road sign, Taeil’s heartbeat quickens, the town’s name burned into his mind. His hands are clenched tightly into fists, his fingernails are digging into his palms, leaving pink crescents. The fortune teller blinks, and he can no longer hear the music and the laughter, or feel the vibrations of the car. There’s a moment of total blankness, no thoughts, no sound or image.

 

He’s still in the car but the surroundings has changed. The forest has been replaced with suburban homes, neatly cut lawns and picket fences. The car is pulling into a driveway, the teenager on the passenger seat is sound asleep. Taeil stares at the street name plate and starts to repeat it in his mind.

 

_Thirty_

 

He blinks once more and Taeil can see the coffee table in his living room. How weird, he could’ve sworn he was kneeling next to the coffee table when he began the reading. And now he’s laying on the couch in the recovery position. It's uncomfortable and his head is starting to throb with dull ache. The man turns on his back and unknowingly touches the bracelet on his left wrist.

 

“Oh fuck, you came round! Thank god, I was starting to panic,” he hears Johnny get up, even though his senses are weakened Taeil notices worry in shapeshifter’s voice. Johnny leans over him, his long fringe is almost touching the other man’s nose. Taeil spots that his eyes had shifted into pale green that reminds him more of those plastic, artificial flowers than an ancient, evergreen forest he saw seconds ago. He wants to see Johnny with blue eyes again. “Are you ok?” he asks anxiously and puts his hand on Taeil's shoulder.

 

“I’m fine, it happens sometimes. Sorry for making you worry,” he reassures Johnny. “How long was I out?”

 

“About five minutes,” the shapeshifter gives him an answer. That's not much, Taeil thinks, when he was younger it used to take up to thirty minutes for him to regain consciousness. “How often do you faint?”

 

“Often enough to get used to it.” he answers and picks himself up from the couch, his legs are wobbly and standing up is harder than anticipated and Johnny has to help him. He puts his arm over the other man's shoulders, maybe it's because he fainted but the shapeshifter feels warmer. As if his body temperature was higher by a degree or two. By this point he has a full blown headache and all of his limbs seem to shake. The fortune teller carefully  goes up to his desk, picks up an old and damaged notebook and writes down the town and street name he saw in his vision, he rips out the page and hands it to Johnny.

 

“That's the information you came for,” he declares looking up at the guest. “But I'm not done yet.” Taeil goes back to the coffee table and kneels next to it, his knees digging into the coarse carpet.

 

“You sure, you want to do it?” Johnny asks, his eyes expressing genuine distress.

 

“I won't faint again, don't worry.” he repeats and smiles at the stranger in order to calm him down. It doesn't work out, Johnny still looks like it was him who lost consciousness.

 

But the cards don't scare Taeil  anymore, they said what they wanted to reveal. They're no longer filled by the insights and clues from the Universe, they're just old pieces of paper that once belonged to his grandma. The fortune teller unceremoniously flips them over.

 

_The moon reversed_

 

_The wheel of fortune_

 

_The lovers_

 

_***_

“What did you ask the cards about?” his grandma asked, her eyebrows raised.

 

“Will I ever meet my soulmate?” he repeated the question from a few minutes ago.

 

“And based on the cards, do you think you will?” she put her small hand on his arm, the tone of her voice was reassuring, it made Taeil feel more at ease.

 

“Yes.” he answered and beamed at her.

_***_

He persuades the shapeshifter to stay the night. There's no point in chasing the boys this late.

***

 

Taeil wakes up at one am, he knows it’s hopeless to try to fall asleep again. He gets up and goes to the kitchen, makes himself some tea, observers the night sky, eats a strawberry yogurt, pets his cat and in general tries to distract himself. He knows that using his phone will only lower the chances of going back to sleep.

 

After twenty minutes or so he hears Johnny wake up. The other man gets up and goes to the kitchen.

 

“Hi there.” Taeil whispers from the counter on which he was sitting and Johnny almost jumps.

 

“Jesus, you scared the crap out of me.” he says significantly louder. He goes up to Taeil and puts his hand on his chest over his heart. In contrast to Taeil’s, Johnny’s hand is warm and soft. “Can you feel how fast it’s beating? That’s how much shit you scared outta me!” Taeil chuckles and puts his hand away, his heartbeat also accelerated.

 

“Sorry,” he says softly. “Couldn’t sleep.”

 

“I figured, but now we both won’t be able to sleep.”

 

“I can lull you to sleep if you want?” he asks and smiles bashfully. He can only see a faint outline of Johnny in the moon’s glow that's pouring through the kitchen window. His long hair is messy, and he has an imprint of the pillow on his left cheek. “I’ve a nice singing voice.” the other man looks surprised.

 

“Maybe next time,” he reciprocates the smile. And Taeil really hopes there’s a next time when he can sing for Johnny. “You can talk to me until I fall back asleep though.” Taeil nods in agreement.

 

They go back to living room, Johnny with a glass of water in his hand and Taeil with the unfinished cup of mint tea he prepared earlier. Johnny goes straight to the couch and Taeil sits up against the wall.

 

“I know it’s your apartment, but why don’t you sit on the armchair?” Johnny asks with curiosity in his voice while wrapping himself up in the woollen blanket.

 

“Oh, it creaks. I’d wake you up when I got up, and I want you to fall asleep, don’t I?” he answers.

 

The conversation goes on from there. They talk about college (Johnny’s finishing his bachelors in music education), their hobbies, favorite music and movies. They get along pretty well, Johnny’s surprised that Taeil is older than him and Taeil laughs it off. _“Do I really look that young?”._ Johnny tells him that he’s originally from Chicago, but he moved to Oregon because he had to change clans. Taeil asks why, but he can hear the other man is uncomfortable, so he changes the topic. He likes Johnny’s humor, it’s goofy and innocent and it makes Taeil giggle like a schoolgirl. He could see himself, if not falling for the other man, then at least wanting to be friends with him.

 

"My eyes change color without my knowledge." Johnny announces suddenly. "I should've told you before, you looked freaked out when they went pale blue earlier."

 

"Freak out is a strong word." Taeil clicks his tongue pretending to be annoyed.

 

"You, literally, told me to change back into my original form. No calm person does that."

 

"I thought you tried to intimidate me." he explains and feels the embarrassment creeping in.

 

"Sorry I'm tall?" Johnny laughs and Taeil’s face warms up. "I usually wear colored lenses, but they're uncomfortable for long periods of time." Taeil hums and leans his head against the cold wall.

 

"Is the color linked to something? Or does it change randomly?" he's never heard about a phenomenon like this even among shapeshifters, he supposes it may be like heterochromia in humans. Uncommon enough to be unique, frequent enough not to be regarded as odd.

 

"Oh yeah, it's linked to my emotions in a way? You know, it changes when I'm happy, sad, frustrated and so on." Johnny clarifies.

 

"You're a walking mood ring!" now it's Taeil's turn to laugh and Johnny joins him. His laugh is deep and bubbly and Taeil thinks it’s not possible for this sound to get old.  

 

"And you spoil people their lives for a living! You're no better!" Taeil wants to protest and say that fortune-tellers are an important part of the magic community but decides to swallow his pride, and continue the joke instead.

 

“I should have a plate on my door that says “Spoiler warning!”. Maybe it would scare off people who don’t believe in my powers.” Taeil adds and chuckles at the absurdity of the scenario. “Can I ask you one more question about your eyes? I swear it’s the last one.” Taeil knows how annoying it can be to be endlessly quizzed about your abilities.  


“Pinky promise?” Johnny lifts his hand above the headrest of the couch. Even in the dim light of a small lamp Taeil can see the raised finger.

 

“Pinky promise.” Taeil says and rises his small finger even though Johnny can’t see it. “Do the colors mean anything?” there’s a minute of silence after the question is posed.

 

“They do,” Johnny says softly. “But I won’t tell you,” he sing-songs. “You have to guess it yourself.”

 

“Oh come on!” Taeil protests. “We’ve known each other for, what, four hours? In the morning I didn’t know you exist!”

 

“Five, actually, it’s almost two am. And aren’t you glad you know about my existence? Your life must’ve been dull without me.” Taeil can hear Johnny’s smile when he speaks. It’s endearing in a way and it makes his heartbeat quicken.

 

“Has anyone told you that you’re annoying? After knowing you for only five hours?”

 

“No, you’re the first one to earn this privilege. Consider yourself honored, sir.” Taeil can almost hear Johnny rolling his eyes. They stay silent for awhile. Johnny’s breathing slowly starts to deepen and the man is dozing off, not used to staying up so late.

 

“You should sleep.” he declares. It’s too late, he dragged this conversation for too long and now he feels guilty that Johnny won’t get enough sleep.

 

“You’re saying this as if it weren’t you, who scared me in the middle of the night.” Johnny snickers. “Fine, mom, goodnight.” he rolls over to his side and pulls the blanket over his head.

 

Taeil stands up and goes back to his bedroom hoping he can fall asleep before dawn.

 

The morning comes too fast. To Taeil it feels like only an hour passed since his conversation with Johnny. He’s still tired even if he slept for six hours. Which to be honest is a lot for him. Typically, he manages to doze off for two or three hours every night. Taeil knows there are people who get five or six hours of sleep a week but it doesn't change the fact he feels dead tired most of the time. It doesn’t change his situation at all.

 

He gets up and sneaks past the couch occupied by Johnny to the kitchen. He prepares a cup coffee for himself and decides to give the other man another hour of sleep before breakfast. He reads the news on his phone and texts his friends for the next hour. The only person he knows that’s awake at eight am on a Saturday is Jungwoo. Who’s too put together to be a real 21-year old, Taeil thinks.

 

Taeil turns on the electric kettle and settles on omelets for breakfast. When they’re ready he puts them on a tray and carries it to the living room.

 

“Good morning,” he says and then hears the other man grumble under the blanket. “I made you breakfast.” Taeil sing-songs.

 

After the meal they plan their road trip, it’ll take them around two days to get where Renjun and his friend are. Taeil packs his bag, kisses his cat goodbye (she looks at him as if she was already mad he left, Taeil ponders whether cats can see the future too), phones Jungwoo and asks him to feed and play with the Priestess when he's gone, and they’re good to go.

 

“We’ll stay in some motel for the night. Unless you know anyone who lives on the way?” Johnny asks before starting the engine of his old pick up truck.

 

“I'll text my friend,” he answers while strapping up.

***

Johnny looks down at the bright red bracelet tied on Taeil's left wrist.

 

"Oh, you've got a soulmate," the smile brightens up his dark eyes. "What's their name?"

 

"I don't, it's a reminder of sorts," Taeil instinctively touches the bracelet. It's a rehearsed answer, a one that doesn't sound true anymore. He doesn't know if he believes in it himself. "I've been foretold to have a soulmate but I haven't met them yet." Johnny hums in response and changes the radio station to a one that plays calmer music.

 

"You're reserved, I see," he chuckles at his own joke. "That's a shame, it means I don't have a chance," he shoots Taeil a greasy wink. In response the other man playfully rolls his eyes. "Sicheng wears one of these,” he adds. ”His boyfriend, Yuta, gifted him one last Christmas. He made him put in on after opening the presents and Sicheng just never took it off." he says with fondness in his voice.

 

"That's cute," Taeil smiles and turns his head to Johnny. "Are they actually soulmates?"

 

"Oh, I don't know but neither do they," he shrugs. "But not knowing whether you are fated or not is romantic in a way. It's an element of surprise kinda, you know what I mean." Taeil thinks of all the heartbreak he has experienced. Middle and high school crushes, failed relationships in college and after that. And how it could've been avoided if he stood by and waited for his soulmate to show up one day.

 

"Yeah, I know,” he agrees. “Sometimes clients bring their kids to me to make them break up with their significant others. There's also the occasional mother-in-law who deprecates the marriage. And telling those couples they weren't fated... If anything it feels dirty 'cause not being soulmates doesn't mean anything. My parents weren't soulmates, yours probably too, it doesn't mean they didn't feel anything for each other."

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/deposit_of)  
> i also made a [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/deponejo/playlist/6bA6izruGZBuwVLF9wUNX2?si=4IqXN9OiSuSoSOca5KTmxA) for this ff if you're interested  
> comments and kudos are greatly appreciated


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